Tag Biology
H5N1 virus isolated from infected dairy worker is 100% lethal in ferrets, but does not appear to be circulating in nature anymore
The findings highlight the risks posed by a virus that continues to spread among dairy cattle and occasionally to farm workers, and the study's lead scientist says he was surprised by the ease with which this particular strain was able to kill ferrets. Read More
New recipes for origin of life may point way to distant, inhabited planets
A team led by scientists at UW–Madison has exploited those limitations of chemical combinations to write a cookbook with hundreds of recipes that have the potential to give rise to life. Read More
See-through zebrafish, new imaging method put blood stem cells in high-resolution spotlight
This new technique will aid researchers as they develop therapies for blood diseases and cancers. Read More
Enzyme, proteins work together to tidy up tail ends of DNA in dividing cells
The research provides insight into how a human cell preserves the integrity of its DNA through repeated cell division. Read More
The search for how life on Earth transformed from simple to complex
A new NASA collaboration of astrobiology researchers co-led by a UW–Madison professor will spend the next five years dedicating their efforts to understanding how life evolved on earth, and how it possibly could evolve on other worlds. Read More
Nationwide maps of bird species can help protect biodiversity
The high-resolution maps can help conservation managers focus their efforts where they are most likely to help birds — in individual counties or forests, rather than across whole states or regions. Read More
Scorpions’ venomous threat to mammals a relatively new evolutionary step
An international team of researchers led by UW–Madison biologists has assembled the largest evolutionary tree of scorpions yet, showing seven independent instances in which the distinctive eight-legged creatures evolved venom compounds toxic to mammals. Read More
This protein can shred our cells. Or it can help us think.
In findings that surprised researchers, a new study reveals that complexin — a protein long known to play a role in communication between cells in the brain — is also capable of obliterating cells if left unchecked. Read More
How does a spider weave its web?
Integrative Biology Professor Prashant Sharma’s lab studies spiders and their ancestors to ask questions about how their unique forms, such as spinnerets, came about. Read More
Daddy longlegs got their long legs by reusing some old evolutionary tools
The first genome of a daddy longlegs is giving up clues to the evolution of the gangly appendages that give members of the order Opiliones their common name. Read More
Midwest bumble bees declined with more farmed land, less diverse crops since 1870
Native species declined while the average number of different crops grown in these states was cut in half and as modern agriculture began to focus on intensive production of corn and soybeans Read More
NSF award to establish network for advanced NMR across three institutions
UW–Madison will join a first-of-its-kind collaborative network for nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, which researchers use to probe large biological molecules like proteins and RNA. Read More
Chemical signal puts bacteria on path to a bright future with squid host
A tiny molecule found among microscopic bacteria living in a mutually beneficial partnership with golf-ball-sized squid may give scientists a lead on how the bacteria are able to act in concert as a helpful colony instead of millions of individual freeloaders. Read More
Songbirds sing — like humans flock — for opioid reward
New research found that when songbirds sing during non-mating seasons, it’s because singing releases an opioid naturally produced in their brain —that’s right, a compound with the same biological makeup of the highly addictive painkillers. Read More
Landscape ecologist Monica Turner: California wildfires aren’t a random situation
For more than a decade, Turner has warned that situations like the one that damaged Yellowstone in 1988 could become more common. She puts the current catastrophic wildfires into context for us. Read More
Parasitic worms use their keen senses to wriggle through their hosts
Filarial nematodes infect hundreds of millions of people, causing diseases such as river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, which can lead to elephantiasis, a severe swelling of the limbs. Read More
Changing environment at home genetically primes invasive species to take over abroad
New research findings could make future encroachments easier to predict, a huge priority since invasive species cause hundreds of billions of dollars in damage each year. Read More
Professor will make ‘workhorse’ microscope more powerful
Kevin Eliceiri says he has always believed that science is best done by building on the work of others and openly sharing what you have done. Read More
Study says “hidden overharvest” from fishing plays a role in Wisconsin walleye declines
New research finds that It finds that 40 percent of walleye populations are overharvested, which is ten times higher than the estimates fisheries managers currently use. Read More
UW–Madison chemist searches for ways to bioengineer proteins within cells
Chemistry Professor Andrew Buller wants to add more building blocks to the body’s protein-making kit, making it easier and less expensive to create the new molecules for research and medicine. Read More